Women's Reproductive Health

This blog examines United States v. Idaho, a federal challenge to the near-total state abortion ban passed in Idaho; it reached the Supreme Court in 2024. We explain the laws at issue, how the case came before the US Supreme Court, and the implications of the Court’s divided decision that sent the case back to the district court.  

Every June, the League, our partners, and people around the country await the US Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) opinions on critical issues like access to the ballot, redistricting, reproductive rights, and more. This blog reflects on several end-of-term cases from the last decade or so that have had a major impact on democracy.

The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case around mifepristone, a drug commonly used for medication abortion. Their decision preserves access to one of the most common, effective, and safest forms of abortion.

WASHINGTON — Today, the League of Women Voters of the United States issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine.  The decision ensures continued access to the medication abortion drug mifepristone:     

The Supreme Court case Moyle v. United States could leave women and people who can become pregnant at risk of permanent bodily harm, creating a patchwork in which some states provide reproductive freedom and equal citizenship for people who can become pregnant while others don’t.  

Abortion will not and should not be left to the whim of state legislatures, particularly when people’s health and lives are at risk. 

PHOENIX - The League of Women Voters of Arizona condemns the decision by the Arizona Supreme Court to reinstate the territorial-era abortion ban enacted in 1864.

WASHINGTON — The League of Women Voters of the United States joined an amicus brief filed in the consolidated Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States cases before the US Supreme Court. The cases concern whether states can block pregnant people from getting emergency abortion care in hospitals, which if adopted, would have devastating implications for pregnant people facing medical emergencies. The amicus brief is led by the National Women’s Law Center and the League is represented by Cohen Milstein. 

In honor of Women’s History Month, VoteRiders’ Digital Communications Coordinator Erin Carden spoke with Jessica Jones Caparell, Director of Government Affairs at the League of Women Voters, about the tremendous power women continue to bring to the ballot box and the steps the League is taking in partnership with VoteRiders to make sure their voices are heard this election season and beyond.

This story was originally published in the Lincoln Journal Star.

A nonpartisan civic organization has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a case before the Nebraska Supreme Court over the law that added restrictions for abortion and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth.

From Supreme Court decisions to voting rights legislation, 2023 was a busy year for our democracy. But how closely were you paying attention?